1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a switch, more particularly to a rolling-ball switch that is mounted on a circuit board for changing between OFF and ON states.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional switch 10, as disclosed by the applicant in Taiwanese Patent No. 204790, includes a housing 11, two insulated covers 13 covering two opposite ends of the housing 11, two lead terminals 12 each having one end disposed in the housing 11 and another end that extends through a respective insulated cover 13 and out of the housing 11, and two ball members 14 disposed within the housing 11 and between the two lead terminals 12.
In use, the ball members 14 contact each other as well as the respective one of the lead terminals 12 so as to place the switch 10 in an “ON” state. When an external force is applied to the switch 10, one of the ball members 14 rolls away from the corresponding lead terminal 12, so that the switch 10 is shifted from the “ON” state to an “OFF” state. Since the ball members 14 have multi-directional contact faces, whether the external force applied to the switch 10 is vertical, horizontal, or inclined, the ball members 14 can quickly produce a highly sensitive switching operation so that the conventional switch 10 is very effective, more so than any vibration-type switches.
However, the lead terminals 12 are dependent on the covers 13 for retention on the housing 11, and the presence of the covers 13 only increases the number of components of the switch 10. Further, the lead terminals 12 are only tight-fitted to the covers 13, so that when the switch 10 is subjected to high temperatures, the lead terminals 12 are easily removed from the housing 11.